VOL. -VXI. S.J. 4 J. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER, 



For (he N. E. Furmcr. 



LABOR-SAVING IMPLEMENTS OF HUS- 

 BANDRY. 



Mr Putnam— The state of the times calls for 

 the most rigid economy on the part of the farmer, 

 in order that he may •' pay his way," Onnwing pro/i't 

 out of the qnestion. The low prices of farm pro- 

 duce, as you justly observed awhile since, will not 

 warrant his contrncting much expense the present 

 season in the cultivation of his land, and I see no 

 ground for hope that there will be any chan<re for 

 the better in business affairs betwoen this and har- 

 vest time. At any rate, if •' coming- events" arc \ 

 auspicious, they do not in this case " cast their 

 shadows before." I 



While, then, the farmer of limited means, will, 

 consulting hid true interest, abstain from unrlertak- 

 ing any extensive cultivation of his grounds, which 

 Hrill of a certainty involve a considerable expense, 

 _ nd for which, aside from the risk of an unfavora- 

 l>Io season, the stale of the public prosperity does 

 not by any means render it probable that lie will 

 be compensated by his returns,— while he acts 

 hus prudently in respect to his plans, he should 

 ikewise aim to save what cvpense he luay in the 

 :oat consequent upon the produce of such crops 

 IS a wise economy justifies and his necessities 

 ;ompel. 



The cost of labor, with most farmers, it is pre- 

 sumed, is the heaviest item in their cash expenses, j 

 ^Vhere any considerable amount of land is kept in 

 i';ullivatiou, this is necessarily great, and in such 

 imes as the present, is the chief drawback to the 

 ■■ armer's thrift. And here I come to ask if this I 

 utiay may not be materially lessened on many 

 arms, by the employment of labor-saving implu- 

 lents .' 



The day when such utensils were condemned 

 ■ ithout trial, has, it is to be hoped, passed by ; and 

 ney are no longer distrusted simply because they 

 re innovations upon long-eslablished usages, 

 ind though it may be a matter of regret with the 

 hilanthropist, that mechanism should have super- 

 eded the employment of human labor, still, the 

 Jling principle of mankind is — and naturally 

 nough— for each to look out for his own interes't 

 'St— and in this, perhaps, there is nothing wrong, 

 -ovided that in so doing, he does not dishonestfy 

 Sect the interest of others. 



In the matter of seed-soiving, it would seem 

 oni the statements of farmers whose words need 

 3 vouchers, that by the use of an implement for 

 lis purpose, (and the testimony of the gentlemen 

 • whom I refer, is in favor of liillis's invention,) 

 imething like a saving of iu-o thirds the expense 

 ■ hand-sowing may be effected, and the work 

 ell done. So of the horse-rake, cultivator, and 

 •me of the thrashing machines — not to say all. 

 I am not able, for lack of the necessary data, 

 ^r did I intend, to demonstrate by figures the 

 ;tual advantage to be gained by the use of such 

 achines ; but merely to bring the matter to the 

 rmer's attention, and leave it with his better 

 dgment — for each must be his own judge as to 

 hat would be economy for him to adopt under 

 s peculiar circumstances. 



I know better than to claim for my prescription, 

 some of the quacks do for their nostrums, that 

 will be useful in cdl cases ; and such assump- 

 in, I am assured, would render me liable to the 

 putation of lacking in that very necessary quali- 

 ation in an adviser of others — common sense. 



I But notwithstanding this, I am convinced that 

 ' there are many farmers who might mnkc a material 

 I saving in their u.sual expenditures for labor—nii'l 

 j in whose circumstances cronomy is „f necessity n 

 study—by the use of such implements as Willis's 

 S.eed-howpr, and other machines of hi.'h renuto 

 and well-attested worth, for various opoiations on 

 I the farm ;_and I throw out these su-rTostions— of 

 I little worth in tliemselvcs-in the hope that some 

 ot the intelligent practical farmers who have had 

 experience with such machines as I havo named 

 may be induced thereby to impart some of the wis' 

 (iom which has accrued to them from such expe- 

 ncp.co, for the bcuetil of others-and surely this 

 last consideration ou„rht to be an incentive for 

 them so to do, for we are mutually dependem on 

 each other— and he is the worst of all misers who 

 hoards his knowledge, and nets upon the principle 

 o him who, in reply to a query as to his deeds of 

 charity, answered, (less grammatically than truly,) 

 " nliat /e-ifes IS wAhing to vobody." 

 AVith high respect, &c. 



TYRO. 



339 



DESTRUCTION OF THE BORER. 



To the Editor of the New England Farmer ; 

 I Dear Sir— Having last season moved on to a 

 small farm in this town, I found a beautiful look- 

 ing apple tree near my garden, that the borers 

 seemed determined to destroy, and I thour-ht I 

 would do my best to destroy them: and as°they 

 had entered the tree on all sides at the ground, I 

 in the first place moved the earth a little from the 

 I roots of the tree, and dug some turf and rai.^ed a 

 dam 6 or 8 inches deep, and on washing days, emp- 

 tied the suds into it, hoping to drown the borers 

 out. I also brought the water th,M had settled in 

 the barn-yard, and put in— but all to no purpose 

 I then resorted to digging. I followed one hole, I 

 think, more than 13 inches up the tree, without 

 hnding the worm ; I then cleared out all the holes 

 as well as I could, and took some common matches 

 and dry b.rch, and went to the foot of the tree, and 

 lighting the matches near the holes, as soon as 

 they Ignited I inserted them in the holes In a 

 tew days I went to the tree again, and found at 

 several of the holes instead of an excresence a 

 substance that appeared glutinous ; and 1 have rea- 

 son to think the matches proved effectual in de- 

 stroying the borer. 



I send these hasty lines to you, to make public 

 If you choose, and that the experiment may be 

 farther tested. 



Respectfully, 



WILLIAM SALISBURY. 

 Medjkld, jipril 21, 1843. 



We Should have feared death to the tree—hui 

 it may bo well to try. It has been said that if 

 common brown soap be crowded into the hole of 

 the borer, it will destroy the worm. Mr French, 

 of Braintree, we believe, has found this effectual' 

 — Eu. N. E. F. 



Sow Grass Sttd Liberally.— One of the greatest 

 errors in farming has been that of sowing grass 

 seeds too thin. One seed produces but one stalk, 

 and though when the leaves are expanded, the 

 ground may appear well covered, yet when it is 

 mown or pastured, the roots will show themselves 

 too remote from each other for good neighborhood 

 or profit ; and there will be a poor sward to turn 

 down — Far. Cab. 



i'OllK AND LARU OIL. 



Of all iho new maiiufacturce introduced into the 

 country, there is none which has gone ahead with 

 .«uch a" perfect rush," (lo use « favorite western 

 phrase,) as the production of oil Ooui lard, and we 

 know of none which promises more immediately 

 beuchcial result.. In the great western vallev 

 manutactories are springing up at all the principal 

 points, such as Cincinnati, I.„„isville, Na.shvillc 

 bt. Louis, Pittsburg. Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit 

 &c. and two have already been established nt 

 Rochester, in this State. Already the principal 

 manufaclurers count their barrcLs of oil by tens of 

 thousands, and there is quite as much tr.ith as po- 

 etry in the sign of « manulaeturer at Pittsburg 

 over whose door is the representation of two mam.^ 

 moth porkers in the act of devouring a whale. 



During the present year, about 24.''.,C()0 hogs 

 have been killed at Cmcinnati ; and the number 

 slaughtered at other places has considerably in- 

 creased. Of the number killed at Cincinnati 

 about 80,000, according to the most authentic inl 

 formation, have, with the exception of the hams, 

 which are pickled and preserved, been converted 

 into bird at once. Formerly, it was very difficult 

 to try hogs in bulk into lard, without burnin-r or 

 otherwise injuring it so as to make an inferior a'rti- 

 cle ; but now, steam has been cnlled to the aid of 

 the manufacturer, and every particle of fat is sep- 

 arated from the meat and (he bones with perfect 

 certainty and ease. A l.irge tub with a double 

 bottom is prepared, the upper one some inches 

 above the other. Into the tub, the hog with the 

 exception of the hams is put, the cover secured 

 and the steam let in. The fat and the meat fall 

 from the bones, and the lard pours through small 

 holes in the upper bottom, into the space between 

 them, from whence it is drawn for straining and 

 packing. The quantity of lard yielded, wher°e the 

 whole hog is treated for it, will of course depend 

 on the fatness of the animal. It is found by expe- 

 rience, that hogs weighing from 300 to 400 lbs. 

 are the best for trying; the quantity of lard, when 

 well fed, considerably exceeding in proportion 

 that of smaller ones. The per cent, where the 

 hog with the exception of the ham is used, varies 

 from .55 to 05, and some very well fed, and of the 

 China and Berkshire breed, have reached 70. It 

 has been ascertained that where the whole hog is 

 used, the. lard contains more oil and less stearlne 

 than that made from the leaf or rough fat, and it 

 was not so well adapted for keeping or for trans- 

 portation as that. This obstacle has been removed 

 by taking from the lard made in this way, about 40 

 per cent of oil, which leaves the lard of the proper 

 consistency for packing, and of a superior quality. 

 Some of the manufacturers of lard from the hog, 

 have adopted the practice of skinning the animal 

 before rendering into lard. In this method there 

 13 no waste of lard, as all the fat adhering to the 

 skin, is easily separated from it by a steel scraper. 

 It is then converted into leather, which is e.xcellent 

 for various purposes, such as saddle and harness 

 making, book-binding, &,c. Where the lard is 

 made by steam, the bones are left in a tine condi- 

 tion for conversion into animal charcoal, which is 

 worth some 2 or 3 cents per pound, used for the 

 clarification of sugar. — Alb. Cult. 



Death is the only friend that can bring that peace 

 which wealth cannot purchase, and remove the 

 pain that physicians cannot cure. — Lacon. 



